For the Bears of a certain age, next week's opening-round matchup in the NAIA tournament will provide an opportunity for revenge.
 
The University of Pikeville found out who and where it will play in the opening round of the 2026 NAIA men's basketball tournament. The fifth-seeded team in the Cramer Bracket, the Bears will play No. 12 Faulkner (Ala.) University in Columbia, Mo.
 
The Bears met Faulkner in the Fab Four of the 2001 national tournament, losing to the Eagles 87-78. Faulkner won the national championship the next night, beating Science & Arts of Oklahoma.
 
The winner of Friday's UPike/Faulkner game will play the winner of No. 4 Columbia and No. 13 McPherson (Kan.) on Saturday.
 
Faulkner is coached by Scott Sanderson, whose brother Jim was the coach of the team in 2001. Their father is basketball coaching legend Wimp Sanderson, former head coach of the University of Alabama,
 
This year's Eagles are 20-9 this season, having gone 14-4 in the always competitive Southern States Athletics Conference. They're coming into the tournament on a two-game skid, having lost their regular season finale to Mobile (Ala.) 86-83 and then falling in the SSAC quarterfinals to Brewton-Parker (Ga.) College 77-56.
 
The Eagles have two first-team all-conference players. KJ Rogers is a 6-2 senior guard from St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, and Tanner Vogel, a 7-0 sophomore from Busselton, Aust.
 
Rogers averages 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He shoots 40.4 percent from the three-point line and is an 85.0 percent free throw shooter.
 
Vogel is the team's third-leading scorer at 11.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He has made 56.3 percent of his shots this season and hits 77.0 percent from the free throw line.
 
They also boast of an all-freshman player in Kamal Green II, a 6-3 guard from Lawrenceville, Ga., he averages 8.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest.
 
UPike is one of two AAC teams to make the tournament. Johnson (Tenn.), which earned its berth with a win over the Bears in the conference championship game, will play Grace (Ind.), the No. 1 seed in the Duer Bracket.
 
The Bears are one of four Kentucky schools in the field, joining Cumberlands, Georgetown and Lindsey Wilson.
 
The time of the game will be at 8:15 EDT, 7:15 CT Friday.